Various active safety systems are currently being used or explored, which assist a driver during a braking process or also with the decision of initiating the braking process. For example, a vehicle may autonomously decide to initiate an automatic emergency braking (AEB) or to modify the braking process. This decision is based on sensor data about the surroundings of the vehicle.
High-cost sensors such as, for example, radar sensors but also low-cost sensors such as, for example, an infrared short-range lidar are able to measure the position, distance and relative speed of a preceding vehicle and to derive an appropriate deceleration therefrom. These estimated values can be improved by using vehicle cameras or can be provided by the vehicle cameras.
The safety features of a vehicle can be categorized as passive and active safety features. Passive safety features include means for protecting the passengers from injuries or for reducing the risk of injuries. In a broader sense, passive safety also includes protecting other road users. Passive safety features include, inter alia, the safety belt system, airbags, passenger cell and crumple zones of the vehicle.
The active safety features include systems which actively intervene in the driving situation, in particular driver assistance systems such as the electronic stability program (ESP), braking assistance systems and driver assistance systems which are connected to surroundings monitoring devices such as, for example, cameras, radars, and lidars.